Hello Sam,
When my brother was diagnosed with Stage 4 locally advanced bladder cancer in May 2006, there were many % tossed around. We didn't need to hear the numbers, what we needed and wanted to hear was someone who would give him a chance.
We found an oncologist who offered hope of remission and my brother started chemo- gemzar and taxol (because of an underlying fear of reflux from the ileal conduit into the kidney they didn't choose cisplatin) in June. By the end of the first 6 or 8 rounds of chemo the scan showed no growth- a big positive in scan lingo. At the end of the next 6-8 rounds again no growth on the scan but with the added plus that the nodes were now negative, this was August.
My brother then came off chemo due to an unrecognized big time depression. When that was addressed and with the results of the scan he went back to surgery right before Christmas to try to remove his bladder. This was not possible for a number of reasons, but the scan done prior to the surgery without chemo for 8 weeks showed no change.
Although he faced a great deal of fatigue from the chemo- the neupogen and procrit- helped him to bounce back. He fell into a predictable routine in the days following each treatment. We realize now some of the fatigue was the worsening of the depression. He is recovering now from the surgery and anxiously waiting for the next step.
No one has a crystal ball. Each patient responds differently and no one can predict beforehand what will happen. My brother has an incredibly positive attitude and is a fighter- I think that is 3/4 of the battle. He also has his Estrogen Posse- mother, sisters, daughter, nieces, wife- to urge him onward. If we had listened to the numbers instead of pursuing other opinions and options, we would have been attending a wake instead of surgery in December. I'm glad your husband chose chemo. It's definitely worth a shot.
Good Luck
Paulette